Wastewater Management

HRPDC staff facilitates a regional wastewater planning program. The program was created by the Directors of Utilities Committee to develop cooperative solutions to address regulatory requirements, as well as and wastewater management issues identified by the local wastewater utilities and the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD). The Water Resources Department facilitates Committee initiatives in the areas listed below:

Hampton Roads is served by local wastewater collection systems that convey flow to the HRSD regional collection and treatment system. The local and regional wastewater systemsare sanitary sewer systems. Sanitary sewer systems collect sewage and other wastewater and transport flows to a wastewater treatment facility for proper treatment and disposal.

Unlike the City of Richmond or the District of Columbia, Hampton Roads is not served by combined sewer systems, whichcollect sewer flows and stormwater in the same pipelinefor treatment and disposal. During high rainfall events, combined sewer and stormwater flows can exceed the capacity of the system. Therefore, combined sewer systems are designed to occasionally overflow and discharge excess wastewater directly to nearby streams, rivers, lakes, or estuaries.